ALVMNVS  BOOK  FVND 


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FAIRY  BREAD 


FAIRY  BREAD 


BY 

J 

Laura  Be^et 


NEW    YORK 

THOMAS  SELTZER 

1921 


kjOPtmqHT,    1921,  £-: 

TH0^1A,8    SBI.TZER,    INC. 


All  rights  reserved 


Printed  in   United  States  of  America 


TO  MY  GRANDMOTHER 
MARY  LEE  ROSE 


"THERE  ARE  MIRACLES:  — AND  I  HAVE 
SEEN  ONE." 


i9S36 


A  few  of  these  poems  have  already  appeared  in 
Collier's,  The  Chimaera,  Others,  The  Masses,  The 
Literary  Review,  The  Lyric,  Contemporary  Verse, 
The  Century,  The  Smart  Set.  The  author  acknowl- 
edges with  thanks  permission  to  reprint  them  here. 


CONTENTS 

The  Quest 11 

"She  Wandered  After  Strange  Gods    „    .    ."  13 

Cushy  Cow 16 

"  Little  Fishes  in  Glass  Dishes  "    .      .      .      .18 

The  Penny 20 

The  Witch's  House 22 

Pity  the  Moon 24 

The  Thrush 25 

Peter 26 

Adventure 28 

Circles 30 

Humor 32 

Gardens  of  Babylon 34 

The  Dragon's  Grandmother 36 

"  Feathers  —  Flowers  " 37 

Enemies 40 


FAIRY  BREAD 


THE  QUEST 

I  am  seeking  for  my  pool. 
It  lies  among  the  heather, 
Where  misty  mountains  gather 
Still  and  cool. 
Winds  fan  its  shores  and  guard  its  ground 
Yet  no  breeze  brings  its  murmuring  sound. 

^  am  seeking  for  my  ring. 
It  has  fallen  in  the  bushes 
Where  the  golden-hearted  thrushes 
Used  to  sing. 
Men  dig  and  plant.     The  earth  is  tossed  — 
Yet  my  lost  circlet  none  have  crossed. 

[  n  ] 


I  am  seeking  for  my  heart. 
It  left  me  in  the  twilight 
When  the  voices  of  the  night 
Called  apart. 
Travellers  go  far  by  land  and  sea 
Yet  no  one  brings  my  heart  to  me. 


r  12  j 


'SHE  WANDERED  AFTER  STRANGE 
GODS     .     .     ." 

O  have  you  seen  my  fairy  steed? 

His  eye  are  wild,  his  mane  is  white, 
He  feeds  upon  an  elfin  weed 

In  cool  of  autumn  night. 

O  have  you  heard  my  fairy  steed, 

Whose  cry  is  like  a  wandering  loon? 

He  mourns  some  cloudy  star-strewn  mead 
On  mountains  of  the  moon. 

O  have  you  tamed  my  fairy  horse, 
To  mount  upon  his  back  and  ride? 

He  tears  the  great  trees  in  his  course, 
Nor  ever  turns  aside. 
[    13   ] 


'Tis  he  who  tames  a  fairy  thing 
Must  suffer  want  and  bitter  fate ! 

Deftly  the  bridles  did  I  fling 
That  brought  him  to  my  gate. 

I  soothed  and  fed  and  tendered  him 
Sweet  herbs  and  honey  in  a  cup, 

And  led  him  in  the  twilight  dim 
To  where  a  spring  welled  up. 

But  there  his  wings  they  waved  so  bright 
Before  my  eyes,  I  drooped  and  slept. 
When  I  awoke,  it  seemed  dark  night. 
I  raised  my  voice  and  wept. 

Alas,  my  lightsome  fairy  steed ! 

I  saw  my  pastures  trampled  bare 
Where  I  had  sown  the  springtime  seed 

And  planted  flowers  rare ! 
[   14  ] 


I  saw  my  barns  a  mass  of  flame ! 

His  fiery  wings  had  glanced  in  flight. 
And  me  —  a  prey  to  fear  and  shame  — 

He  left,  to  seek  the  light ! 


[   15   ] 


CUSHY  COW 

Cushy  cow  has  curly  horns, 
Delicate,  tipped  with  brown. 

Swifter  her  hoofs  fly  backward 
Than  any  bull's  in  town. 

We  milk  her  into  great  white  pails 

And  crocks  of  cottage  blue, 
And  her  leavings  run  all  over  the  yard  — 

Yet  our  milking  is  never  through ! 

I  found  her  at  smoky  twilight 

By  the  well  of  the  pale  primrose, 

Where  grey  elves  hung  on  her  haunches 
And  nuzzled  her  grazing  nose. 
[    16   ] 


But  as  they  cried  and  cheeped  to  her 
And  whined  both  plaintive  and  shrill, 

I  caught  her  by  the  lock  that's  loose 
And  dragged  her  up  Dead  Man's  Hill ! 

Awhile  she  pined  for  the  magic  herb, 
Awhile  for  the  spring  that's  young ; 

But  since  my  sweetheart  has  sung  to  her 
She  holds  a  contented  tongue. 

Yet  it's  by  but  a  thread  and  a  broken  gate 

We  hold  our  fairy  of  kine. 
She  suckles  elf  babies  still,  by  night, 

Who  wither  on  cowslip  wine! 


[   17] 


LITTLE   FISHES   IN   GLASS   DISHES 

Verdant  and  glassy- 
Its  sides  rise  sheerly. 
Light  frothy  bubbles 
Float  to  its  surface, 
And  deep  within  it 
Transparent  fishes, 
Tiny  coiled  sea-horses 
Swim  to  and  fro. 

Steadily  swimming, 
Warily  rising, 
Diving  and  dipping, 
Catching  at  sea-weed, 
[    18   ] 


Snapping  at  stray  flies 
And  flecks  of  sunlight, 
Ever  in  motion, — 
Prey  of  a  vortex. 

Their  eyes  cryptic, 
Stealthy,  translucent, 
Stare  into  star-space 
Visioning  nothing. 
A  sword-fish  grinning 
Pursues  his  neighbor, 
A  wee  mock-turtle 
Heavily  weeps. 


[   19   ] 


THE  PENNY 

A  penny,  a  penny  small,  a  penny  round ! 
Why  do  you  bend  your  eyes  upon  the  ground  ? 

Magical  things  that  leap  and  frisk 
Are  conjured  up  by  that  copper  disk. 

Toss  it  into  the  green  lagoon ; 
It  rises  in  the  round,  yellow  moon. 

Throw  it  into  the  cleft  yew  tree ; 
The  woodcutter  finds  a  treasury. 

Spin  it  on  an  oak  table  top; 
And  skipping  lines  of  rabbits  hop. 
[  20   ] 


Boll  it  under  the  coach  of  the  bride ; 
Luck  goes  over  the  country  side. 

Ring  it  that  children's  feet  may  sing 
Round  barrel  organs  capering. 

Cheaper  than  silver,  dearer  than  gold. 
Thistledown  light,  yet  hard  to  hold. 

A  penny,  a  penny  small,  a  penny  gay ! 
Why  do  you  turn  your  dancing  eyes  away  ? 


[  21   ] 


THE  WITCH'S  HOUSE 

Its  wicked  little  windows  leer 

Beneath  a  moldy  thatch, 
And  village  children  come  and  peer 

Before  they  lift  the  latch. 

A  one-eyed  crow  hops  to  the  door, 
Fat  spiders  crowd  the  pane, 

And  dark  herbs  scattered  on  the  floor 
Waft  fragrance  down  the  lane. 

It  sits  so  low,  the  little  hutch, 

So  secret,  shy,  and  squat, 
As  if  in  its  mysterious  clutch 

It  nursed  one  knew  not  what, 
[   22   ] 


That  beggars  passing  by  the  ditch 

Are  haunted  with  desire 
To  force  the  door,  and  see  the  witch 

Vanish  in  flames  of  fire ! 


[  23  ] 


PITY  THE  MOON 

A  withered  crone  is  the  moon  to-night 

Bent,  unloved  and  proud, 
Shuffling  in  the  windy  light 

Through  dipping  vales  of  cloud. 

Her  dreams,  her  airy,  delicate  dreams 

Are  spilled  into  the  sky ; 
And,  failing  the  touch  of  their  brittle  gleams, 

Moon  will  dwindle  and  die ; 

Greedy  stars  clutched  them  as  they  fell 
From  the  rim  of  the  white,  torn  track, 

But  her  yawning  pocket  holds  no  spell 
To  conjure  her  silver  back. 
[   24  ] 


THE  THRUSH 

God  bade  the  birds  break  not  the  silent  spell 

That  lay  upon  the  wood. 
Longing  for  liquid  notes  that  never  fell 

Ached  the  deep  solitude. 

The  little  birds  obeyed.     Xo  voice  awoke. 

Dwelling  sedate,  apart, 
Only  the  thrush,  the  thrush  that  never  spoke, 

Sang  from  her  bursting  heart. 


[25   ] 


PETER 

Peter  of  the  brothers  three 
Loved  a  life  of  poesy ; 
While  they  stolid  bargains  drove 
He  saw  movies  in  the  stove. 

Peter  was  a  man  of  peace 
Happily  he  tended  geese ; 
Though  his  brothers,  as  they  rose, 
Ran  a  motor  'neath  his  nose. 

Peter  knew  his  limitations, — 
Never  needed  intimations 
Which  tunes  he  was  not  to  sing 
What  new  cabbage  pleased  the  king. 
[  26  ] 


Peter  saw  expedience 

Was  the  way  of  common  sense ; 

Sitting  quiet  on  the  down 

Grabbed  the  princess  and  the  crown. 


[27] 


ADVENTURE 

Black  wave  the  trees  in  the  forest 
And  a  rough  wind  hurries  by, 

But  the  swineherd's  toddling  daughter 
Knows  where  fallen  pinecones  lie. 

And  girt  with  a  snowy  apron 
She  scampers,  alert  and  gay 

To  the  hidden  pool  in  the  hollow 
Where  the  wan  witch  people  play. 

They  smile,  the  wee  wrinkled  women 
They  creep  to  her  pinafore ; 

And  lay  in  her  lap   strange  treasures 
Trolls  brought  from  the  ocean's  floor. 
[  28  ] 


And  they  marvel  at  her  blonde  tresses 
And  braid  them  with  scented  fern ; 

And  they  lave  her  dusty,  brown  ankles 
With  snow  water  from  the  burn. 

But  nobody  listens,  or  heeds  them 
The  swineherd  hews  a  new  trail, 

The  swineherd's  wife  in  the  cottage 
Pours  the  sour  milk  from  the  pail. 

And  little  Gerta  lags  homeward 

Dream  shod  through  the  shadows  deep; 

Her  eyelids  heavy  with  wonder  — 
They  whisper,  "  She's  been  asleep." 


[29  ] 


CIRCLES 

'Yes,  this  is  it,  the  snowy  ring  — 
Drawn  with  chalk  and  a  piece  of  string! 
Tell  me  why  it  was  not  made  square 
With  four  flat  corners  glittering  there? 

'A  child's  world  knows  no  certain  bound. 
Its  magic  music  goes  round  and  round. 
A  child's  play  has  no  sudden  stop: 
Look  at  the  whirring  flight  of  a  top ! 

'A  child's  mind  sketches  a  shining  floor 
On  which  light  fancy  opens  the  door. 
No  end  to  a  child's  soul !    Hungrily 
It  stretches  to  white  infinity. 
[   30   ] 


"Squares  are  rigid,  but  circles  yield 
Like  the  meadow  grass  of  a  springing  field ! 
So  here's  the  little  white  circle,  meet 
For  a  merry  chorus  of  children's  feet !" 


[   31   ] 


HUMOR 

A  fairy  dances 

In  upland  pastures, 

Picking  tart  crabapples, 

Swinging  low; 
Twisted  and  green, 
Elfin-mouthed,  lean, 
His  feet  may  be  chained 

They  are  never  slow. 

He  slyly  peeps  under 
Bushes  of  wonder, 
Hunts  for  thistles 
In  hedgerow  trees 
[  32   ] 


And  straight  thereafter 
Tickles  to  laughter 
Solemn  asses 

On  bended  knees. 

Where  his  sharp  wits  go 

Occasions  grow, 

The  blind  see  meadows 

Of  waving  corn ; 
Men  mazed  with  talking 
Find  lost  hopes  walking 
When  he  conjures  roses 

Out  of  a  thorn. 


[  33  I 


GARDENS  OF  BABYLON 

Huddled  chimneys,  grey,  forlorn, 
In  the  deadened  light  of  a  city  morn. 
Rooftops  ranging,  red  and  high, 
Tenement  windows  glaring,  dry. 

And  —  flower  pots ! 

Gaily  caparisoned  flower  pots, 
Nodding  against  the  sky ! 

Fire  escapes  alive  with  the  green 
Of  scarlet  runner  and  Indian  bean, 
Caught  in  a  handful  of  black  dirt, 
Carried  home  in  a  baby's  skirt.    .    . 

Flower  pots ! 

Verdantly  growing  flower  pots, 
Lifting  their  blooms  on  high ! 
t   34  ] 


Jack  and  the  Beanstalk's  magic  might 
Vines  spring  up  in  a  single  night ! 
Old  faces  soften,  children  stare 
At  the  slender  gardens  in  the  air. 

Flower  pots ! 

Meagre  little  clay  flower  pots 
Bring  the  glow  of  the  country  there ! 


[  35  ] 


THE  DRAGON'S  GRANDMOTHER 

Titanic  courage  nerved  this  little  frame 
To  grapple  fate.     Thin,  gnome-like,  sadly  lame, 
She  steers  her  cockleshell  along  its  way 
With  never  promise  of  a  better  day. 
For  she  is  very  old,  bereft  of  kin, 
Scrubber  of  basements  in  the  hurrying  din 
Of  the  dragon  city.    Once  she  fell  and  lay 
Muttering,  stricken.     Those  hours  she  nearly  died. 
The  priest  brought  draggled  roses.     (In  her  pride 
These  mark  an  epoch!)     Wizened,  beady-eyed, 
She  trembles  forth  upon  her  daily  chore.     .     .     . 
That  withered,  red  geranium  means  much  more.  .  •  % 
You  see?  —  and  those  cheap  chromos  by  the  door! 

[   36   ] 


"  FEATHERS  —  FLOWERS  " 

"Feathers !    Don't  fall  among  ;em,  ma'am ! 
Sometimes  they  fills  this  garret  deep. 
You  can't  see  any  ?    Wonder  why ! 
They  bresh  my  face  when  I'm  asleep. 

"Yes,  three  of  us  was  living  here, 
My  mother,  sister  May,  and  me. 
It'll  be  two  years  in  the  spring 
Since  I  was  left  of  all  the  three. 

"You  see,  our  trade  was  day  piece-work. 
We  sorted  feathers  for  the  store, 
Made  flowers  —  roses,  violets  — 
And  piled  'em  up  here  on  the  floor. 
[   37   ] 


"Red,  blue  and  yellow  and  light  green  — 
They  was  reel  pretty  when  all  done; 
We'd  lay  trays  on  the  window  sill 
To  watch  'em  shining  in  the  sun. 

"One  day  a  lady  says  to  me, 

'I  see  you  keep  a  flock  of  birds !' 
*Why,  ma'am?'    'Because  there's  feathers  here; 

Feathers  and  feathers !'    Them's  her  words. 

"When  momma  and  my  sister  went 

Seemed  s'if  I  couldn't  bear  that  sight ! 
I  dropped  the  trade  and  took  to  sewing 
Long  as  my  eyes  could  stand  the  light. 

"But  then,  wherever  I  would  turn, 
Feathers  was  flying  round  my  head ; 
And  flowers !    I  could  see  them  blossom 
Through  the  wall  paper  by  my  bed. 
[   38   ] 


"Sometimes  they'd  float  along  the  ceiling, 
One  day  I  found  them  in  the  milk ; 

And  when  I'd  work  at  making  dresses  — 
Flowers  would  burst  out  of  the  silk. 

'What's  that,  ma'am  ?     I  should  leave  this  lodging 

And  move  to  folks  that  doesn't  know  ? 
What  if  the  feathers  began  to  flutter, 
What  if  the  flowers  began  to  grow?" 


[  39  ] 


ENEMIES 

I  am  afraid  of  the  dark, 

That  it  will  not  let  me  alone ; 

The  intimacies  of  its  silence 
Would  kindle  stone. 

But  I'm  more  afraid  of  the  light, 
For  its  spaces  snatch  my  breath 

And  make  me  question  the  time 
I  shall  travel  with  Death. 


[  40  ] 


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